The Week in Reviews, Op. 420: Patricia Kopatchinskaja; Mark Wood; Tianwa Yang
In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world.
Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Photo by Marco Borggreve.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja performed Fazil Say's Violin Concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" with the London Symphony Orchestra.
- The Guardian: "Terrific fun, it’s atrociously difficult for the soloist, and was an absolute tour de force for Kopatchinskaja, who was exacting in her negotiation of Say’s rhythmic complexities and ravishing in moments of lyricism, living the music as is her wont, and dancing her way through it at times."
Mark Wood performed in concert with the Johns Creek Symphony.
- Arts ATL: "For all of Wood’s onstage grandiosity, he is still a transcendent instrumentalist....He uses layers of wah pedal and other effects normally reserved for the electric guitar — but never at the cost of melodic clarity. The combination leaves him open to dazzle with flying fingerwork or devastate the senses with walls of distortion while never going off the rails into either extreme."
Tianwa Yang performed Miklós Rózsa's Violin Concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Buffalo Rising: "...she knows her way around a fiddle. Good thing, because the exciting 1953 Violin Concerto by Hungarian émigré (known to many as a Hollywood composer) Miklós Rózsa was all over the fingerboard."
Leonidas Kavakos performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Riccardo Muti at Carnegie Hall.
- New York Classical Review: "The soloist played with pinpoint intonation even in the most gnarly passages, admirably flowing but not glib, taking care to illuminate each theme and incident in the long first movement."
Joshua Bell performed and directed Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the Sydney Opera House.
- Limelight: "Bell stood to perform the solo part and direct the orchestra, all from memory. And here we got to sample his famously sweet tone. His sound, using minimal vibrato, is of the kind often called silvery; so appropriate for the Mendelssohn Concerto with its exposed high harmonics."
Concertmaster Mateusz Wolski performed Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor with the Spokane Symphony.
- The Spokesman-Review: "From the first measures of the piece, Wolski’s full-bodied tone and scrupulous phrasing made it plain that we were not simply to be borne aloft on wings of song, but allowed to witness passionate engagement with Mendelssohn’s thrice-familiar masterpiece."
Concertmaster Roberto Ruisi performed Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto with the Hallé.
- The Arts Desk: "Roberto Ruisi brings formidable technical virtuosity to his role as well as the kind of sweetness and lyricism which now distinguish the orchestra’s strings as a whole, and this concerto gave him the chance to shine in all those qualities."
Leonidas Kavakos performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
- San Francisco Classical Voice: "...the extravagantly gifted Leonidas Kavakos paired formidable technique with adroit phrasing, a supple muscular tone, and interpretive freshness, all of it tightly bound to a splendid performance by the orchestra."
Concertmaster William Shaub performed in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Series with pianist Kevin Class and members of the symphony.
- Arts Knoxville: "The...Concertmaster Series as hosted by Concertmaster William Shaub has always enjoyed displaying its dual personality of virtuosic violin showmanship contrasted with deep dives into the heart of the major chamber ensemble repertoire....its mid-week concerts....happily embraced that scheme."
The Orion Quartet performed a farewell concert for the Dallas Chamber Music Society.
- The Dallas Morning News: "Monday evening’s elegantly paired works represented large-scale farewells from two of the greatest composers of string quartets."
The Fauré Quartett performed works by Fauré for the Candlelight Concert Society.
- Washington Classical Review: "On Sunday afternoon the German piano quartet did its namesake proud"
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 419: Joshua Bell, Two-Set Violin, Clara-Jumi Kang
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 418: Ilya Gringolts; Leonidas Kavakos; Carolin Widmann
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 417: Anne Akiko Meyers, Aubree Oliverson, Vilde Frang
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Many fine thoughts and clear observations, Elizabeth: thanks! Editing with further thoughts: I have seen a few times on this site the idea that the Mendelssohn E minor concerto is a stepping-stone for the highest-level students. Nothing could be further than the truth. That wasn't Mendelssohn's intention, and the work is by turns lyrical, joyous, reflective, energizing... . I can't play it - I am not that sort of violinist - so I feel awe and wonder when I hear the truly great play it.
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October 12, 2023 at 02:51 PM · Re ~ Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in e minor "Comeback"!!! {#1}
A Lover of the divine Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in e minor since a young violinist and performing this great Masterpiece for Violin with Orchestra, a lot long ago, it delights one's Soul to see several fine artists all performing this wondrous work about the same time yet with differing Orchestras and in so doing all Three Violinists now bringing back Mendelssohn's 'perfect' violin concerto, as often expressed to me by my Iconic Violinist Mentor, Nathan Milstein, whom most Violinists know was fabled for his interpretative & hard to describe 'perfect' technical beauty in dispatching this marvel of a Violin Concerto ...
Intrigued seeing some 'names' of unknown to myself violinists, and saluting Concertmaster's of various Symphony Orchestras across America, is a joy and an "At Last!" addition after usually focusing only on well known Violin Soloists! Having been early trained to sit in the proverbial "Hot Seat" by a Father-Teacher who believed most strongly in preparing his daughter to 'play in an orchestra' and to also be a prepared Leader very early on teaching me some of the major Orchestral Masterworks Concertmaster repertoire, I think it truly appropriate to feature very fine Concertmasters/aka, UK 'Leaders', and here on Violinist.com. For far too long a time, most string focused magazines have featured only Violin Soloists, leaving those who actually can do both a bit off to the side ~ Kudos to Violinist.com for opening the 2023-24 Concert Season with Both!!
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto is as exacting as any of the Violin Concerti of Mozart, in its quiet 'demand' for utter purified perfection intonation which few Soloists truly display in public concerts, and which many of few avoid until 'later'! In one's veteran concert touring experience, a violinist must possess purity of heart and respect for the root of each note and cumulatively of all notes consecutively in this almost 'Priestly' Violin Concerto ... Appropo of the clergical descriptive word used, I recall Mr. Milstein, once in a long 'tutorial' at his home, cum studio, in Chester Square, spending beyond his schedule, some time in an RX to me, his 'Guinea Pig Heifetz Pupil', the necessity to 'sometimes turn on BBC TV to watch a religious programme which will do you a lot of good, dear Elisabeth!' At the time, I was caught off guard, so to speak, but in so doing I realized the Milstein Core Soul which was forever the 'Root' of his musical interpretative powers and beauty expressed in all violin concerti & pieces performed not to mention the Nathan Milstein Unaccompanied Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas, as re-studied with Nathan Milstein over a period of 3.5 years and twice weekly for over 4 hours & up to 5 hours in his London Chester Square residence ...
I salute each & every Concertmaster above for their Reviews honoured, for it is an oft thankless job which many very fine Violinists take on and do so well in leading the string section and also suddenly as we used to hear our mentor's at USC say, "And then in a nano second you must suddenly sound like Heifetz!!'
On a different note cadence, it is indeed refreshing to learn Leonidas Kavakos is also bringing back The Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in e minor to concert going audiences in Chicago and in New York City, after performing this pearled Violin Concerto w/ our Chicago Symphony Orchestra and honoured 'Music Director Emeritus of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra for Life', Conductor Riccardo Muti, in Carnegie Hall recently in September for The CH Concert Season 23/24!
Due to many troubles getting my Replies on during much of these past months, I hope this one actually does post so I can sign off from The Windy City of Chicago on October 12th in anno 2023!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Elisabeth Matesky ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Fwd ~ dmg